Impressive Submissions

While Weidman is a world-class wrestler, his submission game is what sets him apart from other great collegiate wrestlers in MMA.

Unlike Chael Sonnen or Mark Munoz, two of the middleweight division's best wrestlers, Weidman has an impressive submission game to go along with his ground control.

In his eight career victories, Weidman has submitted his opponent three times.

Compare that to Sonnen, who has won via submission three times in 27 victories, or to Munoz, who has never won via submission, and it's easy to see that Weidman's submission game is superior to the other great wrestlers in the middleweight division.

Against Sonnen, Anderson was on his back for the better part of four-and-a-half rounds, but he was never in danger of being submitted.

It's safe to say if Weidman can control the champ on the ground for that long, he will find a choke or an arm and attack.

Improving Striking

I won't get carried away here and say that Weidman can out-strike Anderson Silva, but his stand-up game is improving quickly under the tutelage of Ray Longo, and that is vital in a potential matchup with the champ.

For a wrestler still relatively fresh to the MMA scene, Weidman has yet to be outclassed on his feet, and this is a testament to his athleticism and ability to adapt quickly to new styles.

If Weidman can use his continually improving stand-up to set up his shots and avoid getting caught early, he could then wrestle his way to victory.

Quick Finisher

Chris Weidman is a quick finisher when he has adequate time to prepare for a matchup.

His two decision victories in the UFC against Alessio Sakara and Demian Maia were fights taken on short notice and don't properly reflect just how dangerous he can be (although he still won convincingly in each bout).

His other two fights, which he did have time to prepare for, resulted in quick first-round submission victories, and I think that is the Weidman that can defeat Silva.

Silva is known to feel out his opponents early, and the type of fighter that takes the fight to him early can give him problems.

We saw this in his matchup with Sonnen and also earlier in his career, when he took on Travis Lutter and Dan Henderson.

The first round is the best time to catch Anderson, and Weidman is an aggressive fighter who wouldn't be afraid to look for an early finish against the champ.